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Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)

Size: 45 – 50 cmPopulation at Anda: Not breeding on the island

The fulmars spend their first seven years offshore before they return for the first time to the coast to breed. They are very well adapted to an offshore because they have a salt gland situated above the nasal passage. This salt gland helps them desalinate their bodies that they get when they swallow salt water. The gland excretes the salt from their nose as a high saline solution.

Fulmars use the updraft from water to elegantly glide with stiff wings above the surface, sometimes only a few centimeters from the water. They follow fishing vessels to feed on the offal thrown overboard and they always outcompete the gulls in competition for food.